For the women, by the women

When one thinks about having an event where women share their stories, and talk about empowering the fairer sex, it’s impossible to keep out stories of struggles, of facing crisis and overcoming the odds.

And if theatre personality Zubin Driver is to be believed, where there are stories of struggle, there’s also liberation and the will to succeed. That, he says, is the theme behind Devi Unleashed, an evening of female artistes performing monologues, dances and songs, among other performances.

“Devi Unleashed comes from an idea that one must put together an evening, which is a gift from women to other women,” he explains. “We were looking at pieces where narratives deal with struggle, as it is something you can’t take your eyes away from when discussing women’s stories. The fact is that not only are women struggling with strong issues, but also they’re finding ways to navigate them and come out stronger. It’s not a pessimistic view of issues, but is also a celebration of women’s power to overcome them.”

The event will play host to artistes like Lopamudra Mohanty, who will perform a monologue titled Devi. Mitali Dsouza, and who is to perform an Odissi performance of Goddess There are also storytelling acts by the likes of Nalini Vaz, who will read two poems by Bhakti poet Bahina Bai, as well as artistes who are to perform original stories.

Zubin reveals that an intrinsic part of getting the performers into the groove of the event was to have them meet the writers of the short stories they’re performing. “The interactions were an amazing experience because of all that was shared between them,” he says. “Not only were the stories discussed, a lot of issues that are contextual to it were discussed too. By the very act of coming together, you’re unleashing the sharing experience, and that’s how empowerment happens. People are bonding, sharing and finding common grounds.”

The director says that he intends to not just make Devi Unleashed an annual event, but also use it to elicit personal narratives from women, via workshops and group discussions. “We’re going to do this every year. We want to also perform two monologues that are women-centric and keep this into an entry point for workshops with women. They talk about a spectrum of issues, from objectification of the female body to subtextual violence that’s not physical but mental, empowerment, work, identity and more. We hope this will stimulate personal narratives and sharing,” he signs off.

Tonight, 7 pm onwards, at Title Waves,
Bandra Entry: Free